The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-10-30
Another Globe Like Ours.

In La Lecture, new Partisan magazine,
n. CAMILLE PLANTATION. who occupies a
unique position among the astronomers OF
Europe on account Of the brilliancy Of his
scientific imagination and the fearlessness
with which he uses 1t, writes In his most en-
pertaining vein of 1.-THE Inhabitants Of the
Planet Mars" There IL nobody who could
discourse better than M. FLAMMARIoN on
this subject because there ID nobody who
has stronger faith than bis In the exist
ence Of such Inhabitants. He is the fore
most champion In our day Of the doctrine Of
the plurality Of worlds, and he possesses q
literary fecund1ty and q stock OF erudition
which compel the envious admiration OF
those cut-and-dried, almanac-making as
tronomers who Affect fine contempt for his
writings. In short, although NJ. FLAMMA-
RON may be read out Of the orthodox circle
Of the worshippers OF Urania, yet he Is, per-
haps the truest devotee Of them all, and he
cannot be put down, for he Is admittedly an
authority on double stars, he Is evidently an
able mathematician. he possesses o compe-
tent observatory, and his writings show him
to be a. student Of very broad range. 1t Is
well worth the readers while. then, to listen
has to say OF one Of our neighboring worlds
In the sky. and Of the Intelligent beings who.
he thinks, dwell upon its surface.
He begins by recalling familiar knowledge
about the motions and appearance Of the
planet Mars its rotation on its axis in "a
hours 81 minutes and 23 seconds, giving 1t
days and nights very little longer than ours;
Its revolution around the sun in $50 days;
its size. less than one-sixth that Of the EARTH
and the many striking features that it re-
veals to the telescope. He thus sums up the
general results Of this telescope scrutiny:
For moro than two centuries we have OBJ:
Marian metsorology. From here we behold
sns II % s
weather. clouds. rains and tempests, and the
return q far skies IN WORD all the ~ yielss
phenomsns Is to-day so well, established that
astronomers are abie TO predict the form: the
or clear, OF ia atmosphere The geographical
knowledge that We sstHally possess OF the
ITO 30 sure this map Is still far from being
a %s abe to
knowledge win continue constantly 70 improve
nsiEhS boring world stsptics smile as they
TON. But no who has confidence in pro ,ress
sides has within itself nothing impossible. and
ready the general geography Of Mars can be
To ssrresssis attitudes ABOUT our two poles.
clouds, The polar ICE q Mars are ansloEues 81
pursued ed ike our own EeSerthsls ss We should
not Jump to the conclusion that absolute
Ssa sss s
shows charaoteristio disresemt lances to US.
Our globe IL covered by the waters Of the sea
if s!ands; sSs S:st A.lsnsle Ii. In%sase p;
S %ass 6s1n HMss e.. WITH @
equal between tho lands and the waters and
there ID rather more land than sea; the seas
narrow mar o.. straits. ike the English Channel and
entirely different from the terrsstriaI sariaee
tho dSrtian ssss exhibit rsmarEabls diIsr-
ences OF shade. For one thing, they are darke
dss and shsn again sOmo 81 them are par
ITO What cause is this graduation Of shade
When one aoats in balloon above large
and transparent. one sees the bottom seme-
times so perfectly that the water seems to have
disappeared tthis Is what has happened to me,
notably one day. the 10th OF June 1867, at
height, Of 5000 metres above the Loirel; along
the edges OF the ocean one. distinguishes
the m down b, dssts Of
dred metres OF the shore, according to the
oleArness and the condition OF tho water
Mars would 30 those which. like the zuyder
Zee for instance. arc only q few metres In
depth; the gray seas would be little deeper.
not, however, the only explanation that can be
given. fol, the tint OF tho water may itself read
water Ii the darker. and one can trace In the
sea currents which, like the Gulf Stream. flow
as rivers OF slighter density upon the surface Of
depends upon the degree OF evaporation, and
1t would not be- surprising y the equatorial
seas 9f Nam were brtny and deeper oolorod